Chapter 10 - The View from the Top
For a brief, fleeting moment, Marcus’s eyes shifted and met Elena’s through the curtain gap.
He froze.
He saw her sitting in 1A, a glass of crystal-clear champagne in her hand, looking radiant, powerful, and completely out of his league. The contrast between them was absolute. She was ascending; he was barely surviving.
Elena didn't look away. She didn't glare, and she didn't gloat. She simply offered him a small, polite, devastatingly indifferent smile.
The kind of smile you give a stranger you will never see again.
Marcus swallowed hard, looking down at his scuffed shoes, and quickly shuffled down the aisle toward the back of the plane, disappearing into the crowd of weary travelers.
A flight attendant approached Elena, holding a silver tray. “Can I get you anything else before takeoff, Ms. Vance?”
May you like
Elena looked out the window as the plane began to push back from the gate. The sky above was clear, endless, and entirely hers.
“No, thank you,” Elena said, taking a slow sip of her champagne. “I have absolutely everything I need.”
